Historically, the church has always understood that the Sabbath was a Jewish law that no longer applied to Christians. Though there has been some debate, the actual writings of the early Church fathers heavily suggest that the early church understood the Sabbath was fulfilled in Christ. First century non-Jewish Christians did not practice the Sabbath and both Jew and Gentile Christians in the first century both gathered on Sunday. Sunday was called the Lord’s Day and was not a New Sabbath day. Rather, it was a weekly day of worship commemorating the resurrection of Christ. It wasn’t until a few hundred years later that certain leaders in the church began to see “The Lord’s Day” as a new Sabbath. Even then, the church has always Gathered on Sunday. During the Reformation, the understanding of the Sabbath as Eschatological fulfillment became more emphasized. The Bible most clearly supports a view of the Sabbath that sees it as a type whose fulfillment is seen in the rest of Christ and ultimately the New Heavens and the New Earth.




You can read the full articles in the series by following the Links Below.

  1. Judaism, The Church, and The Sabbath: An Historical Survey
  2. The Sabbath, The Church, and The 21st Century: Modern Views of the Sabbath
  3. The Sabbath In Scripture: A Textual Interaction
  4. The Sabbath as Fulfillment: A Textual Interaction
